Methods of subtractively manufacturing a plurality of discrete objects from a single workpiece

ABSTRACT

Methods involving adding a removable fixating material to a partially manufactured workpiece to stabilize a plurality of partially formed objects therein for subsequent manufacturing. In one example, a workpiece of interconnected structures is manufactured comprising precursors to the discrete objects as a function of a workpiece computer model. Manufacturing the workpiece further includes forming valleys between adjacent partially formed objects so that interconnecting portions remain to interconnect the partially formed objects. Further, the methods include removing the interconnecting portions so as to liberate the plurality of objects from one another. In some embodiments, a temporary frame is formed from the workpiece along with the plurality of objects during manufacturing.

RELATED APPLICATION DATA

The present application is a continuation in part of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/467,111, filed on Mar. 23, 2017, and titled“METHODS OF SUBTRACTIVELY MANUFACTURING A PLURALITY OF DISCRETE OBJECTSFROM A SINGLE WORKPIECE USING A REMOVABLE FIXATING MATERIAL,” whichclaims the benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationSer. No. 62/312,532, filed on Mar. 24, 2016, and titled “METHODS OFSUBTRACTIVELY MANUFACTURING A PLURALITY OF DISCRETE OBJECTS FROM ASINGLE WORKPIECE USING A REMOVABLE FIXATING MATERIAL.” Each of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 15/467,111 and U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 62/312,532 is incorporated reference herein in itsentirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to the field of subtractivemanufacturing. In particular, the present invention is directed tomethods of subtractively manufacturing a plurality of discrete objectsfrom a single workpiece.

BACKGROUND

Many types of objects are manufactured using rotary-tool milling andother types of subtractive manufacturing processes. Typically, a singleobject is made from a single body of material, or “workpiece,” such as ablock or slab of steel or aluminum. For example, steel and aluminumparts for any of a wide variety of assemblies are often machined fromindividual workpieces using one or more milling machines. However,making such machined parts can be labor intensive as operators load andunload individual workpieces to and from milling machines.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

In an aspect, a method of manufacturing a plurality of discrete objects,wherein each discrete object represents at least a partially completedform of at least a part of a finished product, from a body of material,wherein the discrete objects are defined by through-spaces in the bodyof material extending from a first side to a second side afterperforming the method, includes receiving the body of material, whereinthe body of material includes the first side and the second side, andthe second side is spaced from the first side, and generating aworkpiece computer model, wherein the workpiece computer model comprisesa plurality of computer models of differing structures. The methodfurther comprises subtractively manufacturing a workpiece ofinterconnected structures comprising precursors to the discrete objectsas a function of the workpiece computer model, wherein the workpiece ofinterconnected structures comprises forming valleys, wherein the valleysform portions of the through-spaces, in the body of material on thefirst side of the body of material so as to leave interconnectingportions of the body of material, wherein the interconnecting portionsinterconnect the plurality of objects to one another. The method furthercomprises removing the interconnecting portions, wherein removing theinterconnecting portions further comprises liberating the plurality ofobjects from one another.

In another aspect, a method of manufacturing a plurality of discreteobjects, wherein each discrete object represents at least a partiallycompleted form of at least a part of a finished product, from a body ofmaterial, wherein the discrete objects are defined by through-spaces inthe body of material extending from a first side to a second side afterperforming the method. The method comprises receiving the body ofmaterial, wherein the body of material comprises the first side and thesecond side spaced from the first side, and subtractively manufacturinga workpiece of interconnected structures comprising precursors to thediscrete objects as a function of a workpiece computer model, whereinthe workpiece of interconnected structures comprises forming valleys,wherein the valleys form portions of the through-spaces, in the body ofmaterial on the first side of the body of material so as to leaveinterconnecting portions of the body of material, wherein theinterconnecting portions interconnect the plurality of objects to oneanother. The method further comprises locating a temporary framelaterally surrounding an object region of the body from which all of thediscrete objects will be subtractively manufactured. The method furthercomprises removing the interconnecting portions of a stabilizedworkpiece, wherein removing the interconnecting portions of thestabilized workpiece further comprises liberating the plurality ofobjects from one another.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For the purpose of illustrating the invention, the drawings show aspectsof one or more embodiments of the invention. However, it should beunderstood that the present invention is not limited to the precisearrangements and instrumentalities shown in the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method ofmanufacturing a plurality of discrete objects from a single workpiece inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an exemplary body of material prior toforming a plurality of discrete objects from the body of material;

FIG. 3A is a plan view of a computer model of a workpiece composed of acomputer model of the rectangular slab of FIG. 2 and multiple computermodels of several types of objects to be formed from the rectangularslab;

FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view as taken along line 3B-3B of FIG. 3A;

FIG. 4A is a plan view of the first side of a workpiece modeled in theworkpiece model of FIGS. 3A and 3B after forming valleys in theworkpiece that partially define the plurality of discrete objects;

FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view as taken along line 4B-4B of FIG. 4A;

FIG. 5A is a plan view of the workpiece of FIGS. 4A and 4B located in amold for installing a removable fixating material to stabilize theworkpiece during subsequent manufacturing operations;

FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view as taken along line 5B-5B of FIG. 5A;

FIG. 5C is a cross-sectional view similar to the cross-sectional view ofFIG. 5B but with the mold removed;

FIG. 6A is a plan view of the second side of the stabilized workpieceafter removing some material from the second side of the stabilizedworkpiece so as to remove the interconnecting portions spanning betweenadjacent ones of partially formed objects in the stabilized workpiece;

FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view as taken along line 6B-6B of FIG. 6A;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the discrete objects after removing theremovable fixating material from the stabilized workpiece of FIGS. 6Aand 6B after removing all interconnecting portions;

FIG. 8A is a plan view of the workpiece of FIGS. 4A and 4B located in atemporary prefabricated frame prior to installing a removable fixatingmaterial to stabilize the workpiece during subsequent manufacturingoperations;

FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view as taken along line 8B-8B of FIG. 8Aafter installing the removable fixating material to create a framedstabilized workpiece;

FIG. 9A is a plan view of the second side of the framed stabilizedworkpiece after removing some material from the second side of theframed stabilized workpiece so as to remove the interconnecting portionsspanning between adjacent ones of partially formed objects in thestabilized workpiece;

FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view as taken along line 9B-9B of FIG. 9A;

FIG. 10 is a plan view of the discrete objects and temporary workpieceafter removing the removable fixating material from the framedstabilized workpiece of FIGS. 8A and 8B after removing allinterconnecting portions;

FIG. 11A is a plan view of a computer model of a workpiece composed of acomputer model of a temporary frame, selected in coordination with therectangular slab of FIG. 2, and multiple computer models of severaltypes of objects to be formed from the rectangular slab;

FIG. 11B is a cross-sectional view as taken along line 11B-11B of FIG.11A;

FIG. 12A is a plan view of the first side of the workpiece of the modelof FIGS. 11A and 11B after forming valleys in the workpiece thatpartially define the plurality of discrete objects;

FIG. 12B is a cross-sectional view as taken along line 12B-12B of FIG.12A;

FIG. 13A is a plan view of the workpiece of FIGS. 12A and 12B having aremovable fixating material installed to stabilize the workpiece duringsubsequent manufacturing operations;

FIG. 13B is a cross-sectional view as taken along line 13B-13B of FIG.13A;

FIG. 14A is a plan view of the second side of the stabilized workpieceafter removing some material from the second side of the stabilizedworkpiece so as to remove the interconnecting portions spanning betweenadjacent ones of partially formed objects in the stabilized workpiece;

FIG. 14B is a cross-sectional view as taken along line 14B-14B of FIG.14A;

FIG. 15 is a plan view of the discrete objects after removing theremovable fixating material from the stabilized workpiece of FIGS. 14Aand 14B after removing all interconnecting portions; and

FIG. 16 is a block diagram of a computing system that can be used toimplement any one or more of the methodologies disclosed herein and anyone or more portions thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In one aspect, the present invention is directed to methods ofmanufacturing a plurality of discrete objects from a single body ofmaterial, or “workpiece,” using a temporary fixating material to firmlyhold the discrete objects in place while they are being disconnectedfrom one another using one or more subtractive manufacturing processes.In some embodiments, a temporary peripheral frame is provided, forexample, to aid in: handling; datum referencing; and/or object layout,among other things. Examples of discrete objects that can bemanufactured using techniques disclosed herein include, but are notlimited to, finished parts for assemblies (such as consumer products,military equipment, commercial equipment, among others), precursors tofinished parts (such as precursors that required further processing tocreate finished assembly parts), finished standalone products, andprecursors to finished standalone products, among others. Generally, theonly limitations on the nature and character of the discrete objects isthat they are manufacturable by one or more subtractive manufacturingprocesses and are compatible with other steps of processes describedbelow, such as with the processes of installing and removing of afixating material used to temporarily fix the discrete parts relative toone another and/or relative to the temporary peripheral frame. It isnoted that for any given body of material, the multiple discrete partsmay all be identical to one another or they may all be different fromone another or some may be identical and others may be different. Asused herein and in the appended claims, a “precursor” to a finished partor finished object is a discrete object, i.e., an object liberated fromthe body of material from which it is made, that requires furtherprocessing to become the finished part or finished object.

Examples of bodies of material from which the multiple discrete objectscan be made include, but are not limited to, plates, slabs, blooms,billets, boards, blocks, among many other shapes, including curvilinearand multisided shapes, and any combination thereof. As for the materialcomposing the body, the material may be any suitable material, such asmetal (solid, sintered, etc.), polymer (solid, foamed, etc.), wood,composite, and multilayer material, among others. Fundamentally, thereis no limitation on the composition of the body of material other thanit be compatible with the selected subtractive manufacturing process(es)and the removable fixating material and its removal technique(s). Bodyof material may include at least one reference datum designed,configured, and located for precisely locating a stabilized workpiecerelative to a subtractive manufacturing machine.

Each subtractive manufacturing process used may be any suitable process,such as, but not limited to, rotary-tool milling, electronic dischargemachining, ablation, etching, erosion, cutting, and cleaving, amongothers. Fundamentally, there is no limitation on the type of subtractivemanufacturing process(es) used other than each is compatible withcomposition of the body of material and/or the fixating material,depending on when a particular subtractive manufacturing process is usedin the overall method. For example, differing subtractive manufacturingprocesses can be used before and after the fixating material has beeninstalled, such that the subtractive machining process used prior toinstalling the fixating material does not need to be compatible with thefixating material, whereas each subtractive manufacturing process afterthe fixating material has been installed may need to be compatible withthe fixating material, for example, if it is used to remove any of thefixating material, incidentally or intentionally.

If rotary-tool milling is utilized, this milling may be accomplishedusing any suitable type of milling equipment, such as milling equipmenthaving either a vertically or horizontally oriented spindle shaft.Examples of milling equipment include bed mills, turret mills, C-framemills, floor mills, gantry mills, knee mills, and ram-type mills, amongothers. In some embodiments, the milling equipment used for removingmaterial may be of the computerized numerical control (CNC) type that isautomated and operates by precisely programmed commands that controlmovement of one or more parts of the equipment to effect the materialremoval. CNC machines, their operation, programming, and relation tocomputer aided manufacturing (CAM) tools and computer aided design (CAD)tools are well known and need not be described in detail herein forthose skilled in the art to understand the scope of the presentinvention and how to practice it in any of its widely varying forms.

Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary method100 of making a plurality of discrete objects from a suitable body ofmaterial. In optional step 105, a workpiece computer model may becreated by assigning a plurality of computer models of one or morediffering structures to locations within a computer model of the body ofmaterial. Optional Step 105 may be performed in any suitable manner,such as using CAD and/or CAM software having a graphical user interfacethat allows a user to manipulate graphical representations of theobjects and/or body of material to effectively place the graphicalrepresentations of the objects within the graphical representation ofthe body of material to indicate the regions within the body of materialfrom which the objects will be made. In step 105, the computer models ofthe objects are located relative to the computer model of the body ofmaterial so that sufficient space is present between adjacent ones ofthe computer models of the objects so that when the objects are beingformed from the body of material, there is sufficient room for thesubtractive manufacturing tool(s) needed to remove material from thebody of material and to allow a sufficient amount of fixating materialto be present between the discrete objects to provide the necessary firmsupport for the objects during later steps of method 100. As part ofstep 105 or as part of a separate step not specifically enumerated inFIG. 1, a workpiece computer model may be configured into a CAM model,one or more machine control instructions, or another data structure thatin later steps of method 100 may be used to guide the operation of oneor more subtractive manufacturing machines to perform the necessarymaterial removal for ultimately forming the discrete objects from thebody of material in the proper number and sequence of steps.

In step 110, one or more subtractive manufacturing processes are used toremove material from the body of material, now a workpiece, in theinter-object regions, i.e., from between the regions of the body ofmaterial that will become the objects. It is noted, that a support frameor a temporary support frame may also be formed by one or moresubtractive manufacturing process prior to or during step 110. Not allof the material in the inter-object regions is removed in step 110,however. Rather, material from the inter-object regions is removed to anextent less than an extent that would sacrifice stability of thepartially formed discrete objects during continuing subtractivemanufacturing operations and/or any handling or other operations thatmay occur. The amount of material left in the inter-object regions asinterconnecting portions that act to stabilize the partially formeddiscrete objects may take any suitable form, such as discrete bridgingor continuous bridging. In discrete bridging, the subtractivemanufacturing includes removing material through the entire thickness ofthe body of material in some locations but not others (where the bridgesare formed). In continuous bridging, material is removed from theinter-object regions only to a depth less than the full thickness of thebody of material. When continuous bridging is present, when the body ofmaterial is viewed from its side opposite from which the subtractivemanufacturing at step 110 is performed, the body of material looksundisturbed.

In step 110, the subtractive manufacturing that removed material fromthe inter-object regions on one side of the body of material can bedescribed as forming valleys in the body of material. While it can bebeneficial that the material remaining after performing step 110 has auniform thickness as described below, the remaining material may havevarying thickness, for example to accommodate objects of differing sizesand/or to span differing inter-object distances while providing theneeded support, among other things. At the end of step 110 after theformation of the valleys, the body of material may be referred to as a“workpiece of interconnected structures” that comprises precursors tothe discrete objects interconnected with one another; precursors may beconnected to an integral temporary frame (see below), if used, by one ormore interconnecting portions; such a workpiece, may be implemented,without limitation, as disclosed in U.S. Nonprovisional patent Ser. No.10,401,824, filed on Jan. 15, 2018, and entitled METHODS AND SOFTWAREFOR REDUCING MACHINING EQUIPMENT USAGE WHEN MACHINING MULTIPLE OBJECTSFROM A SINGLE WORKPIECE, and U.S. Nonprovisional patent application Ser.No. 15/857,312, filed on Dec. 28, 2017, and entitled METHODS ANDSOFTWARE FOR PROVIDING GRAPHICAL REPRESENTATIONS OF A PLURALITY OFOBJECTS IN A CENTRAL THROUGH OPENING, the entirety of which areincorporated by reference herein.

In step 115, a temporary and removable fixating material is installedinto the workpiece of interconnected structures after step 110 so as tocreate a stabilized workpiece. A purpose of the removable fixatingmaterial is to temporarily firmly support, i.e., stabilize, theprecursors to the discrete objects during one or more subtractivemanufacturing processes that will be used to remove the interconnectingportions formed at step 110 and any additional material, if any, fromthe workpiece of interconnected structures desired to finish eachdiscrete object to a desired state before being liberated from theremovable fixating material.

Examples of removable fixating materials suitable for use as removablefixating material in step 115 include waxes (such as machining waxesavailable from Freeman Manufacturing & Supply Company, Avon, Ohio) thatare melted for installation and removal but are sufficiently firm atsubtractive manufacturing ambient temperatures and other materials thatcan be installed in a fluid form and harden when needed to provide therequisite firm support and can be removed without damaging the discreteobjects, such as by melting, dissolving by water or other fluid, etc.Fundamentally, there is no limitation on the removable fixating materialother than it and its removal process should not damage the objectsformed from the body of material. In some embodiments, the removablefixating material may be installed by locating the workpiece ofinterconnected structures, after step 110, in a mold designed andconfigured for installing the removable fixating material in a mannerthat the ones of the partially formed objects in the body of material onthe peripheral edge of the body of material are laterally or verticallysurrounded by the removable fixating material or laterally andvertically surrounded by the removable fixating material. As an example,for a body of material that is a rectangular slab and the slabcontaining the plurality of partially formed objects at least roughlyhas the same rectangular shape, the mold may have a rectangular recessthat is larger than the slab. In this example, the rectangular recessfirst receives the partially manufactured slab centered within therecess, and then the removable fixating material is installed to notonly fill or partially fill the valleys created by the subtractivemanufacturing at step 110 but also at least partially fill the spacebetween the walls of the rectangular recess of the mold and thepartially manufactured slab. After the removable fixating materialhardens, the slab, now stabilized and at least partially encased in theremovable fixating material, is removed from the mold for furtherprocessing.

As an alternative to the molding approach to installing the removablefixed material, at optional step 120 a temporary frame may be locatedlaterally around the region of the body of material from which thediscrete objects will be formed. The temporary frame may be provided forany one or more of a variety of purposes, including, but not necessarilylimited to, providing a mold of sorts for the installation of theremovable fixating material, providing a structure to aid handling ofstabilized body of material, and providing one or more datum points orsurfaces needed by the one or more subtractive manufacturing processesto ensure that the objects are manufactured properly. If used, atemporary frame may be provided in any of several ways.

For example, the temporary frame may be formed from the body of materialby subtractive manufacturing in conjunction with the formation of thediscrete objects from the body of material. It is emphasized thatoptional step 120 may occur prior to or during step 110 of method 100.Also, valleys may be formed in on a second side in the body of materialby subtractive manufacturing. If provided in this manner, the temporaryframe may be provided with any one or more of a variety of features, asneeded, to effect a robust connection between the frame and theremovable fixating material so as to hold the frame firmly in placeduring subsequent manufacturing, handling, and any other operation(s).In some embodiments in which the temporary frame is, effectively,fabricated from the body of material, the frame may be modeled in acomputer model and represented by a graphical representation, which maybe combined with, linked to and/or otherwise associated with graphicalrepresentations of the objects to be made from a particular body ofmaterial as described above; computer model and/or graphicalrepresentation of temporary frame may be implemented in any mannersuitable for implementation of computer model and/or graphicalrepresentation of objects as described above. When the temporary frameis computer modeled, the dimensions of the outer perimeter of thetemporary frame may be selected to match, or nearly match, thedimensions of the outer perimeter of the body of material so as tomaximize the size of the region within the temporary frame from whichthe objects will be formed. In some embodiments intended for use whenthe body of material may be any one of a preselected set of bodies ofmaterial, a library of computer models of differing temporary framessuited to the differing bodies of material may be provided. Thetemporary frames of the differing computer models may differ in any oneor more of a number of ways, such as dimensions of the outer perimeter,thickness, shape of the outer perimeter, width, and interlock featuresfor accommodating the removable fixating material, among others.

As another example of providing a temporary frame at optional step 120,the temporary frame may be provided as a prefabricated structureseparate and distinct from the body of material from which the objectsare formed. In this example, the prefabricated temporary frame has aninner periphery that is larger than the outer periphery of the body ofmaterial, or the portion of the body of material that remains afterperforming the subtractive manufacturing at step 110 described above. Insome embodiments, the prefabricated temporary frame is provided afterthe subtractive manufacturing performed at step 110 and before theremovable fixating material is installed at step 115. Such a discreteprefabricated temporary frame may have any of the characteristicsdescribed above relative to the integral temporary frame described aboveand/or may be one of a set of discrete temporary frames especiallydesigned and configured to particular uses in the same manner as the setof temporary frames described above in the context of the computermodels used for temporary frames integrally formed with correspondingrespective bodies of material. Providing a discrete temporary frame canhave the advantage of allowing more objects to be made from any givenbody of material because a portion of the body of material does not needto be used for an integrally formed frame. A discrete temporary framemay be reusable and/or may be made of a material different from thematerial of the body of material from which the objects are made, suchas a less-expensive body of material. Providing a discrete temporaryframe also cuts down on the waste created by needing to discard(recycle) an integrally fabricated temporary frame, which is not neededafter it fulfils its temporary support purposes.

In step 125, subtractive manufacturing is performed on the stabilizedworkpiece to at least remove the interconnecting portions of theoriginal body of material that connect the objects together with oneanother or to an integrally formed temporary frame, if any, that wereformed in the subtractive manufacturing of step 110. Removing theseinterconnecting portions results in the objects, and temporary frame ifpresent, to become discrete structures held together by only theremovable fixating material. As eluded to above, an efficient example ofperforming step 125 is present when the side (reverse side) of the bodyof material opposite the side (obverse side) from which the valleys ofstep 110 are formed must be processed to remove a uniform thicknessacross that entire side in the region of the objects. Such a situationmight occur, for example, when one or more faces of the objects arelocated at a minimum depth from the raw face of the body of material onthat side. In this case, the thickness of the interconnecting portionsformed in step 110 may be made to be equal to or less than that minimumdepth. Then, to remove the interconnecting portions and perhaps also atleast partially finish each of the objects from the obverse side of thestabilized body of material, one subtractive manufacturing operation maybe to remove a uniformly thick region of material from the entirereverse side of the stabilized body of material that removes theinterconnecting portions and material from each of the precursors to theobjects as a step toward finishing each of the objects.

By removing the interconnecting portions, the precursors (objects), andany integral support frame, become discrete structures held togetheronly by the removable fixating material. It is noted that theuniform-thickness material removal from the reverse side of thestabilized workpiece is only an example. The interconnecting portionsremaining from step 110 can be removed in any suitable or desiredmanner. For example, the interconnecting portions may be removed fromthe reverse side without removing any material of the precursors locatedover any of the objects. As another example, if some but not all of theobjects require material removal from the reverse side, that materialmay be removed along with the removal of the interconnecting portions.If the interconnecting portions are not continuous with one another atthe valleys, the individual interconnecting portions may be removedwithout affecting any surrounding material or in conjunction withremoving material over one or more, but fewer than all, of the objects.Fundamentally, there is no limitation on the manner in which subtractivemanufacturing is used to remove the bridging to form the discreteobjects.

Alternatively or additionally, in an embodiment, removing theinterconnecting portions of the body of material may be performedwithout the use of removable fixating material. In an embodiment, thestabilized workpiece may be generated without the use of the removablefixating material. As an example and without limitation, the stabilizedworkpiece may include the workpiece of interconnected structures whereinthe workpiece of interconnected structures includes the temporary framelocated after step 115.

After the removal of the interconnecting portions and any other materialfrom the reverse side of the stabilized workpiece at step 125, in step130 the removable fixating material is removed using any processsuitable for the type of removable fixating material that needs to beremoved. For example, if the removable fixating material is wax,wax-based, thermoplastic, or thermoplastic-based, the removal processmay involve heating the removable fixating material to a temperatureabove its melting temperature and allowing the molten material to flowout of the stabilized body of material. As another example, if theremovable fixating material is made of a material dissolvable in wateror other liquid, the removal process may involve submerging thestabilized body of material in a bath of such liquid or spraying thestabilized body of material with such liquid, among other things. Oncethe removable fixating material has been removed, the discrete objectand frame, if any, are physically liberated from one another and can behandled accordingly. If a temporary frame is present, it may be savedand used again or it may be discarded (recycled), as desired. This is soregardless of whether the temporary frame was integrally formed from thebody of material or originally provided as a discrete structure.

At optional step 135, each of the discrete objects liberated from thestabilized body of material at step 130 may be further processed asdesired to finish that object. Examples of further process include butare not limited to: secondary machining, polishing, coating,silk-screening, and any combination thereof, among others.Fundamentally, there is no limitation on the finishing steps, if any,that may occur at optional step 135.

In the foregoing method, the transitions between steps and/or locationsat which the steps are performed may vary from one instantiation toanother. For example, in an instantiation in which a milling machine,such as a CNC milling machine having a movable horizontal x-y bed and arotational milling tool that moved in the z (vertical) direction, once aCAM model of the body of material containing the objects and the frame,if any, has been provided to the milling machine and the body ofmaterial is properly located for machining by the CNC milling machine,the machine may be controlled to perform step 110 of method 100 so as toform the valleys on the obverse side of the body of material and leavethe modeled bridging to hold the objects and temporary frame, if any,together. Once the CNC milling machine has completed step 110, one ormore workers, robot, or other machine may move the partially milled bodyof material to a separate workstation for installation of the removablefixating material. However, the partially milled body of material neednot be moved to another workstation in alternative instantiations. Forexample, in some instantiations, the partially milled body of materialmay remain on the horizontal x-y bed of the CNC milling machine, where aworker, robotic arm, etc., could install the removable fixating materialat step 115. In addition, if the removable fixating material isinstalled without moving the milled body of material, means could beprovided to assist with hardening of the fixating material, such as byproviding cooling if hardening happens through cooling of the fixatingmaterial.

Once the removable fixating material has hardened sufficiently, if thenow stabilized body of material is located away from the CNC millingmachine, it is moved to the CNC milling machine so that the millingmachine can perform the subtractive manufacturing of step 125 on thereverse side of the stabilized body of material. If the CNC millingmachine can perform machining from only one side, then the stabilizedbody of material will need to be in a flipped orientation relative toits orientation during the milling operations of step 110. However, ifthe facilities are such that the installation of the fixating materialoccurs without moving the body of material from its location where thesubtractive manufacturing of step 110 occurred, then if the CNC millingmachine at issue can mill from only one side of the body of material,then after installation of the fixating material the stabilized body ofmaterial must be flipped for milling on the reverse side at step 120. Ifthe CNC milling machine is capable of milling from two opposite sides ofa workpiece, then the stabilized body of material may not need to bemoved at all after the removable fixating material has been installed.After the CNC milling machine has performed all milling operations ofstep 120, the stabilized body of material, now with the objects andtemporary frame, if any, held together only by the removable fixatingmaterial, may be moved to a workstation where the fixating material isremoved to liberate the objects and temporary frame, if any, from thestabilized body of material.

Some or all of the steps of method 100 and/or intermediate handlingsteps between the steps of method 100 may be automated to reduce theneed for human interaction and contribution and associated costs. Suchautomation may be implemented using a work cell approach, whereinmultiple steps are performed by one or more multitask or a set ofsingle-task work-cell machines and one or more manipulators, as needed,to move a workpiece among the work-cell machines. Alternatively, theautomation may be implemented using an assembly-line approach, whereintwo or more single and/or multitask machines form an assembly line withsuitable automated and/or manual conveyance means (e.g., conveyor belts,robots, dollies, push carts, etc.) for moving each workpiece from onemachine to the next. Additionally, method 100 is exemplary and a personof ordinary skill in the art will, after reading this disclosure in itsentirety will readily appreciate that method 100 may occur in adifferent order than show here.

FIGS. 2 to 15 illustrate several examples of various steps of method 100of FIG. 1 for three exemplary scenarios, namely, a frameless scenario, aprefabricated-frame scenario, and an integral-frame scenario. In each ofthese examples, the body of material used is a rectangular slab 200 ofaluminum as illustrated in FIG. 2. The configuration of slab 200 and itscomposition are merely exemplary and should in no way be consideredlimiting. It is noted that throughout FIGS. 3A to 15, each and everyoccurrence of elements such as certain valleys, spaces, andinterconnecting portions are not labeled for convenience and to avoidcluttering the figures. However, at least some are labeled, and thoseskilled in the art will readily understand where these elements existthough they are unlabeled.

Looking first at a frameless scenario, FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrates anexemplary workpiece computer model 300 of a workpiece 400 (FIGS. 4A and4B) created at step 105 of FIG. 1 by placing a plurality of computermodels 304(1) to 304(8) in relation to a computer model 308 ofrectangular slab 200 of FIG. 2 to show where the corresponding objectswill be subtractively manufactured from the rectangular slab. In thisexample, object computer models 304(1) to 304(4) are of a first type ofobject, object computer models 304(5) and 304(6) are of a second objecttype different from the first object type, and object computer models304(7) and 304(8) are for a third object type different from each of thefirst and second object types. As seen in FIG. 3A, object computermodels 304(1) to 304(8) are spaced apart to form inter-object regions312, which are regions from which material of rectangular slab 200 (FIG.2) will be removed to form the corresponding objects. In this example,and as seen in FIG. 3B, at least object computer models 304(5) and304(6) require removal of additional material above and below them inregions 316 and 320 to complete the corresponding objects, at least atthis stage of manufacture. It is emphasized that the objects in thisexample are highly simplified for illustrative purposes only. Eachobject in real-world embodiments may be a simple or as complex asnecessary. Also, it is noted that computer models 300, 304(1) to 304(8),and 308 are simplified line drawings for purposes of explanation.

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate the state of workpiece 400 after thesubtractive manufacturing that occurs at step 110 of FIG. 1. As seen inFIGS. 4A and 4B, in step 110 material is removed from workpiece 400 todefine valleys 404 between partially formed objects 408(1) to 408(8) inthe workpiece that correspond to portions of inter-object regions 312between object computer models 304(1) to 304(8) as defined in workpiecemodel 300 of FIGS. 3A and 3B. In the example shown, valleys 404 do notextend all the way through the thickness of workpiece 400 at anylocation. Consequently, valleys 404 define interconnecting portions,here continuous bridging 412, between partially formed objects 408(1) to408(8). In the example shown, the thickness, Tb, of continuous bridging412 is equal to or slightly less than the minimum depth, Do, that mustbe removed from the reverse side of workpiece 400, i.e., the side of theworkpiece opposite from the side (i.e., obverse side) containing valleys404. Setting the thickness Tb of continuous bridging 412 (or partialbridging in other embodiments) in this way can provide for simplifiedmaterial removal at step 125 of FIG. 1. Those skilled in the art willreadily appreciate that workpiece computer model 300 and/or anysubsequently created CAM model(s) may include information for formingvalleys 404 and corresponding continuous bridging 412. In the exampleshown, the subtractive manufacturing process used for removing materialat step 110 is a rotary milling process performed using a rotary millingmachine, as represented by rotary milling tool 416. In otherembodiments, one or more other subtractive manufacturing processes maybe used to form valleys 404.

FIGS. 5A to 5C illustrate an exemplary manner in which a temporary andremovable fixating material can be installed in a workpiece at step 115of FIG. 1. Referring first to FIG. 5A, following step 110 of FIG. 1,workpiece 400 may be placed in a mold 500, or, alternatively, the moldcan be placed around the workpiece, for example, with valleys 404opening upward. In this example, sidewalls 500(1) to 500(4) of mold 500are spaced from the lateral sides 400(1) to 400(4) to create regions forthe removable fixating material 504 (FIGS. 5B and 5C). As seen in FIG.5B, removable fixating material 504 is installed into mold 500 and intovalleys 404 to an appropriate depth, which may be less than, equal to,or greater than the greatest thickness, Td, of workpiece 400 remainingafter subtractive manufacturing at step 110 of FIG. 1. That said, inthis example, removable fixating material 504 is installed to a depthless than the greatest thickness Td of workpiece 400. Once removablefixating material 504 has sufficiently hardened, the stabilizedworkpiece 508 (i.e., workpiece 400 plus installed removable fixatingmaterial 504) is removed from mold 500 or, alternatively, the mold isremoved from the stabilized workpiece. Stabilized workpiece 508 isillustrated free of mold 500 in FIG. 5C.

FIG. 6A illustrates stabilized workpiece 508 partway through step 125 ofremoving the interconnecting portions, here continuous bridging 412,between partially formed objects 408(1) to 408(8) (only appropriate oneslabeled) using one or more subtractive manufacturing processes. In thisexample, the process of removing continuous bridging 412 is arotary-tool machining operation performed by a rotary milling tool 600that removes a “layer” 604 of constant thickness, Tc, across the entirereverse side of stabilized workpiece 508. As noted above, continuousbridging 412 can be removed in another manner as desired. However,removing such a constant-thickness layer can gain certain economies inthe machining process. FIG. 6B illustrates that partially formed objects408(1) to 408(8) (FIGS. 4A and 4B) are now, or will become when step 125is completed, discrete objects 608(1) to 608(8) (only appropriate oneslabeled) held together only by removable fixating material 504. In theexample shown, portions of removable fixating material 504 adjacent tolayer 604 are not machined away, but could be if desired. FIG. 7illustrates stabilized workpiece 508 (FIGS. 5A-5C) at step 130 of FIG. 1after removal of removable fixating material 504, thereby leaving onlydiscrete objects 608(1) to 608(8).

Whereas the first example illustrates various steps of method 100 ofFIG. 1 and the resulting structures in a frameless scenario, this nextexample utilizes a temporary frame 800, as seen in FIGS. 8A and 8B, thatin one sense take the place of mold 500 (FIGS. 5A and 5B) but that canalso provide one or more benefits, such as any one or more of thebenefits described above in connection with the description of step 120of FIG. 1. In this temporary-frame scenario, steps 105 and 110 of FIG.1, and correspondingly FIGS. 2 through 4B, may be the same as in theframeless scenario described above. However, instead of using mold 500(FIGS. 5A and 5B) for installing removable fixating material 504, atoptional step 120, temporary frame 800 (FIGS. 8A and 8B) is providedaround workpiece 400, and at step 115 removable fixating material 504′is installed in valleys 404 between adjacent ones of partially formedobjects 408(1) to 408(8) and in spaces 804 between the temporary frameand partially formed objects 408(1) to 408(8). When removable fixatingmaterial 504′ has hardened, workpiece 400 and temporary frame 800comprise a framed stabilized workpiece 808. In this example, removablefixating material 504′ is provided to a depth slightly less thanthickness Td (FIG. 5B) of workpiece 400, but it could be provided to agreater or lesser depth as desired. In some embodiments, temporary frame800 may include one or more reference datums that can be used to ensureproper location of workpiece 400 for properly performing one or moresubtractive manufacturing processes.

FIG. 9A illustrates framed stabilized workpiece 808 partway through step125 of removing the interconnecting portions, here continuous bridging412, between partially formed objects 408(1) to 408(8) (only appropriateones labeled) using one or more subtractive manufacturing processes. Inthis example, the process of removing continuous bridging 412 is arotary-tool machining operation performed by rotary milling tool 600that removes layer 604 of constant thickness, Tc, across the entirereverse side of stabilized workpiece 808. As noted above, continuousbridging 412 can be removed in another manner as desired. However,removing such a constant-thickness layer can gain certain economies inthe machining process. FIG. 9B illustrates that partially formed objects408(1) to 408(8) (FIGS. 4A and 4B) are now, or will become when step 125is completed, discrete objects 608(1) to 608(8) (only appropriate oneslabeled) held together only by removable fixating material 504′. In theexample shown, portions of removable fixating material 504′ adjacent tolayer 604 are not machined away, but could be if desired. FIG. 10illustrates framed stabilized workpiece 804 (FIGS. 8A and 8B) at step130 of FIG. 1 after removal of removable fixating material 504′, therebyleaving only discrete objects 608(1) to 608(8) and temporary frame 800,which can be reused or recycled as desired.

FIGS. 11A to 15 illustrate another scenario involving a temporary frame,but in this example the temporary frame is effectively formed from thesame body of material from which the objects at issue are subtractivelymanufactured. Referring first to FIGS. 11A and 11B, a workpiece model1100 of a workpiece 1200 (FIGS. 12A and 12B) is created at step 105 thatincludes not only slab computer model 308 and object computer models304(1) to 304(8) described above in connection with FIGS. 3A and 3B, butalso includes a frame computer model 1104 of a temporary frame 1500(FIG. 15) that will ultimately be subtractively manufactured along withdiscrete object 608(1) to 608(8) in this example. Object computer models304(1) to 304(8) and frame computer model 1104 are located relative toone another to form inter-structure regions 1108 that will become spacesthat separate discrete objects 608(1) to 608(8) and frame 1500 (FIG. 15)after subtractive manufacturing.

In one embodiment, to create workpiece model 1100, a user using computermodeling software, such as a CAM software, CAD software, or othersoftware, may locate, for example, via graphical representations on oneor more graphical displays, object computer models 304(1) to 304(8)relative to frame computer model 1104 to achieve the desired arrangementof the object computer models within the frame computer model. Dependingon the workflow selected, the user may locate frame computer model 1104relative to slab computer model 308, or vice versa, before locatingobject computer models 304(1) to 304(8) relative to the frame computermodel, or, alternatively, the user may locate the object computer modelsrelative the frame computer model before locating the combination of theobject and frame computer models relative to the slab computer model, orvice versa. It is noted that rectangular slab 200 of FIG. 2 can be usedto make discrete objects 608(1) to 608(8) and temporary frame 1500 (FIG.15) despite the discrete objects in stabilized workpiece 804 (FIGS. 8Aand 8B) being close to the edges of the rectangular slab by, forexample, reducing the spacing between adjacent ones of described objects(and corresponding object computer models 304(1) to 304(8). It is notedthat optional step 120 of FIG. 1 is subsumed in step 105 of creatingworkpiece computer model 1100 via frame computer model 1104. Optionalstep 120 of FIG. 1 is also subsumed in the subtractive manufacturingsteps 110 and steps 125 as temporary frame 1500 (FIG. 15) is formed bythe subtractive manufacturing process(es) used at those steps.

FIGS. 12A and 12B illustrate the state of workpiece 1200 after thesubtractive manufacturing that occurs at step 110 of FIG. 1. As seen inFIGS. 12A and 12B, in step 110 material is removed from workpiece 1200to define valleys 1204 between partially formed objects 408(1) to 408(8)and partially formed frame 1208 in the workpiece that correspond toportions of inter-structure regions 1108 between object computer models304(1) to 304(8) and frame computer model 1104 as defined in workpiecemodel 1100 of FIGS. 11A and 11B. In the example shown, valleys 1204 donot extend all the way through the thickness of workpiece 1200 at anylocation. Consequently, valleys 1204 define interconnecting portions,here continuous bridging 1212, between partially formed objects 408(1)to 408(8) and between the partially formed objects and partially formedframe 1208. In the example shown, the thickness, Tb′, of continuousbridging 1212 is equal to or slightly less than the minimum depth, Do′,that must be removed from the reverse side of workpiece 1200, i.e., theside of the workpiece opposite from the side (i.e., obverse side)containing valleys 1204. Setting the thickness Tb′ of continuousbridging 1212 (or partial bridging in other embodiments) in this way canprovide for simplified material removal at step 125 of FIG. 1. Thoseskilled in the art will readily appreciate that workpiece computer model1200 and/or any subsequently created CAM model(s) may includeinformation for forming valleys 1204 and corresponding continuousbridging 1212. In the example shown, the subtractive manufacturingprocess used for removing material at step 110 is a rotary millingprocess performed using a rotary milling machine, as represented byrotary milling tool 1216. In other embodiments, one more othersubtractive manufacturing processes may be used to form valleys 1204.

FIGS. 13A and 13B illustrate installing a temporary and removablefixating material 1300 in workpiece 1200 at step 115 of FIG. 1. Sincepartially formed frame 1208 is integral with workpiece 1200, removablefixating material 1300 need only be installed into valleys 1204 to anappropriate depth, which may be less than, equal to, or greater than thegreatest thickness, Td, of workpiece 1200 remaining after subtractivemanufacturing at step 110 of FIG. 1. That said, in this example,removable fixating material 1300 is installed to a depth less than thegreatest thickness Td of workpiece 1200. Once removable fixatingmaterial 1300 has sufficiently hardened, the stabilized workpiece 1304(i.e., workpiece 1200 plus installed removable fixating material 1300)may be ready for processing at step 125 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 14A illustrates stabilized workpiece 1304 partway through step 125of removing the interconnecting portions, here continuous bridging 1212,between partially formed objects 408(1) to 408(8) (only appropriate oneslabeled) and partially formed frame 1208 using one or more subtractivemanufacturing processes. In this example, the process of removingcontinuous bridging 1212 is a rotary-tool machining operation performedby a rotary milling tool 1400 that, in this example, removes a “layer”1404 of constant thickness, Tc′, across the entire reverse side ofstabilized workpiece 1304. As noted above, continuous bridging 1212 canbe removed in another manner as desired. However, removing such aconstant-thickness layer can gain certain economies in the machiningprocess. FIG. 14B illustrates that partially formed objects 408(1) to408(8) (FIGS. 12A and 12B) and partially formed frame 1208 are now, orwill become when step 125 is completed, discrete objects 608(1) to608(8) (only appropriate ones labeled) and discrete temporary frame 1500(FIG. 15) held together only by removable fixating material 1300. In theexample shown, portions of removable fixating material 1300 adjacent tolayer 1404 are not machined away, but could be if desired. FIG. 15illustrates stabilized workpiece 1304 (FIGS. 13A and 13B) at step 130 ofFIG. 1 after removal of removable fixating material 1300, therebyleaving only discrete objects 608(1) to 608(8) and temporary frame 1500,which can be used (such as in the second scenario described above),recycled, or discarded, as desired.

It is to be noted that any one or more of the aspects and embodimentsdescribed herein may be conveniently implemented using one or moremachines (e.g., one or more computing devices that are utilized as auser computing device for an electronic document, one or more serverdevices, such as a document server, etc.) programmed according to theteachings of the present specification, as will be apparent to those ofordinary skill in the computer art. Appropriate software coding canreadily be prepared by skilled programmers based on the teachings of thepresent disclosure, as will be apparent to those of ordinary skill inthe software art. Aspects and implementations discussed above employingsoftware and/or software modules may also include appropriate hardwarefor assisting in the implementation of the machine executableinstructions of the software and/or software module.

Such software may be a computer program product that employs amachine-readable storage medium. A machine-readable storage medium maybe any medium that is capable of storing and/or encoding a sequence ofinstructions for execution by a machine (e.g., a computing device) andthat causes the machine to perform any one of the methodologies and/orembodiments described herein. Examples of a machine-readable storagemedium include, but are not limited to, a magnetic disk, an optical disc(e.g., CD, CD-R, DVD, DVD-R, etc.), a magneto-optical disk, a read-onlymemory “ROM” device, a random access memory “RAM” device, a magneticcard, an optical card, a solid-state memory device, an EPROM, an EEPROM,and any combinations thereof. A machine-readable medium, as used herein,is intended to include a single medium as well as a collection ofphysically separate media, such as, for example, a collection of compactdiscs or one or more hard disk drives in combination with a computermemory. As used herein, a machine-readable storage medium does notinclude transitory forms of signal transmission.

Such software may also include information (e.g., data) carried as adata signal on a data carrier, such as a carrier wave. For example,machine-executable information may be included as a data-carrying signalembodied in a data carrier in which the signal encodes a sequence ofinstruction, or portion thereof, for execution by a machine (e.g., acomputing device) and any related information (e.g., data structures anddata) that causes the machine to perform any one of the methodologiesand/or embodiments described herein.

Examples of a computing device include, but are not limited to, anelectronic book reading device, a computer workstation, a terminalcomputer, a server computer, a handheld device (e.g., a tablet computer,a smartphone, etc.), a web appliance, a network router, a networkswitch, a network bridge, any machine capable of executing a sequence ofinstructions that specify an action to be taken by that machine, and anycombinations thereof. In one example, a computing device may includeand/or be included in a kiosk.

FIG. 16 shows a diagrammatic representation of one embodiment of acomputing device in the exemplary form of a computer system 1600 withinwhich a set of instructions, such as certain steps of FIG. 1, forcausing a control system to perform any one or more of the aspectsand/or methodologies of the present disclosure may be executed. It isalso contemplated that multiple computing devices may be utilized toimplement a specially configured set of instructions for causing one ormore of the devices to perform any one or more of the aspects and/ormethodologies of the present disclosure. Computer system 1600 includes aprocessor 1604 and a memory 1608 that communicate with each other, andwith other components, via a bus 1612. Bus 1612 may include any ofseveral types of bus structures including, but not limited to, a memorybus, a memory controller, a peripheral bus, a local bus, and anycombinations thereof, using any of a variety of bus architectures.

Memory 1608 may include various components (e.g., machine-readablemedia) including, but not limited to, a random access memory component,a read only component, and any combinations thereof. In one example, abasic input/output system 1616 (BIOS), including basic routines thathelp to transfer information between elements within computer system1600, such as during start-up, may be stored in memory 1608. Memory 1608may also include (e.g., stored on one or more machine-readable media)instructions (e.g., software) 1620 embodying any one or more of theaspects and/or methodologies of the present disclosure. In anotherexample, memory 1608 may further include any number of program modulesincluding, but not limited to, an operating system, one or moreapplication programs, other program modules, program data, and anycombinations thereof.

Computer system 1600 may also include a storage device 1624. Examples ofa storage device (e.g., storage device 1624) include, but are notlimited to, a hard disk drive, a magnetic disk drive, an optical discdrive in combination with an optical medium, a solid-state memorydevice, and any combinations thereof. Storage device 1624 may beconnected to bus 1612 by an appropriate interface (not shown). Exampleinterfaces include, but are not limited to, SCSI, advanced technologyattachment (ATA), serial ATA, universal serial bus (USB), IEEE 1394(FIREWIRE), and any combinations thereof. In one example, storage device1624 (or one or more components thereof) may be removably interfacedwith computer system 1600 (e.g., via an external port connector (notshown)). Particularly, storage device 1624 and an associatedmachine-readable medium 1628 may provide nonvolatile and/or volatilestorage of machine-readable instructions, data structures, programmodules, and/or other data for computer system 1600. In one example,software 1620 may reside, completely or partially, withinmachine-readable medium 1628. In another example, software 1620 mayreside, completely or partially, within processor 1604.

Computer system 1600 may also include an input device 1632. In oneexample, a user of computer system 1600 may enter commands and/or otherinformation into computer system 1600 via input device 1632. Examples ofan input device 1632 include, but are not limited to, an alpha-numericinput device (e.g., a keyboard), a pointing device, a joystick, agamepad, an audio input device (e.g., a microphone, a voice responsesystem, etc.), a cursor control device (e.g., a mouse), a touchpad, anoptical scanner, a video capture device (e.g., a still camera, a videocamera), a touchscreen, and any combinations thereof. Input device 1632may be interfaced to bus 1612 via any of a variety of interfaces (notshown) including, but not limited to, a serial interface, a parallelinterface, a game port, a USB interface, a FIREWIRE interface, a directinterface to bus 1612, and any combinations thereof Input device 1632may include a touch screen interface that may be a part of or separatefrom display 1636, discussed further below. Input device 1632 may beutilized as a user selection device for selecting one or more graphicalrepresentations in a graphical interface as described above.

A user may also input commands and/or other information to computersystem 1600 via storage device 1624 (e.g., a removable disk drive, aflash drive, etc.) and/or network interface device 1640. A networkinterface device, such as network interface device 1640, may be utilizedfor connecting computer system 1600 to one or more of a variety ofnetworks, such as network 1644, and one or more remote devices 1648connected thereto. Examples of a network interface device include, butare not limited to, a network interface card (e.g., a mobile networkinterface card, a LAN card), a modem, and any combination thereof.Examples of a network include, but are not limited to, a wide areanetwork (e.g., the Internet, an enterprise network), a local areanetwork (e.g., a network associated with an office, a building, a campusor other relatively small geographic space), a telephone network, a datanetwork associated with a telephone/voice provider (e.g., a mobilecommunications provider data and/or voice network), a direct connectionbetween two computing devices, and any combinations thereof. A network,such as network 1644, may employ a wired and/or a wireless mode ofcommunication. In general, any network topology may be used. Information(e.g., data, software 1620, etc.) may be communicated to and/or fromcomputer system 1600 via network interface device 1640.

Computer system 1600 may further include a video display adapter 1652for communicating a displayable image to a display device, such asdisplay device 1636. Examples of a display device include, but are notlimited to, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a cathode ray tube (CRT), aplasma display, a light emitting diode (LED) display, and anycombinations thereof. Display adapter 1652 and display device 1636 maybe utilized in combination with processor 1604 to provide graphicalrepresentations of aspects of the present disclosure. In addition to adisplay device, computer system 1600 may include one or more otherperipheral output devices including, but not limited to, an audiospeaker, a printer, and any combinations thereof. Such peripheral outputdevices may be connected to bus 1612 via a peripheral interface 1656.Examples of a peripheral interface include, but are not limited to, aserial port, a USB connection, a FIREWIRE connection, a parallelconnection, and any combinations thereof.

The foregoing has been a detailed description of illustrativeembodiments of the invention. Various modifications and additions can bemade without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention.Features of each of the various embodiments described above may becombined with features of other described embodiments as appropriate inorder to provide a multiplicity of feature combinations in associatednew embodiments. Furthermore, while the foregoing describes a number ofseparate embodiments, what has been described herein is merelyillustrative of the application of the principles of the presentinvention. Additionally, although particular methods herein may beillustrated and/or described as being performed in a specific order, theordering is highly variable within ordinary skill to achieve methods,systems, and software according to the present disclosure. Accordingly,this description is meant to be taken only by way of example, and not tootherwise limit the scope of this invention.

Furthermore, the foregoing has been a detailed description ofillustrative embodiments of the invention. It is noted that in thepresent specification and claims appended hereto, conjunctive languagesuch as is used in the phrases “at least one of X, Y and Z” and “one ormore of X, Y, and Z,” unless specifically stated or indicated otherwise,shall be taken to mean that each item in the conjunctive list can bepresent in any number exclusive of every other item in the list or inany number in combination with any or all other item(s) in theconjunctive list, each of which may also be present in any number.Applying this general rule, the conjunctive phrases in the foregoingexamples in which the conjunctive list consists of X, Y, and Z shalleach encompass: one or more of X; one or more of Y; one or more of Z;one or more of X and one or more of Y; one or more of Y and one or moreof Z; one or more of X and one or more of Z; and one or more of X, oneor more of Y and one or more of Z.

Various modifications and additions can be made without departing fromthe spirit and scope of this invention. Features of each of the variousembodiments described above may be combined with features of otherdescribed embodiments as appropriate in order to provide a multiplicityof feature combinations in associated new embodiments. Furthermore,while the foregoing describes a number of separate embodiments, what hasbeen described herein is merely illustrative of the application of theprinciples of the present invention. Additionally, although particularmethods herein may be illustrated and/or described as being performed ina specific order, the ordering is highly variable within ordinary skillto achieve aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, thisdescription is meant to be taken only by way of example, and not tootherwise limit the scope of this invention.

Exemplary embodiments have been disclosed above and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings. It will be understood by those skilled in the artthat various changes, omissions and additions may be made to that whichis specifically disclosed herein without departing from the spirit andscope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of manufacturing a plurality of discrete objects, wherein each discrete object represents at least a partially completed form of at least a part of a finished product, from a body of material, wherein the discrete objects are defined by through-spaces in the body of material extending from a first side to a second side after performing the method, the method comprising: receiving the body of material, wherein the body of material comprises a first side and a second side, and the second side is spaced from the first side; generating a workpiece computer model, wherein the workpiece computer model comprises a plurality of computer models of differing structures; subtractively manufacturing a workpiece of interconnected structures comprising precursors to the discrete objects as a function of the workpiece computer model, wherein generating the workpiece of interconnected structures comprises forming valleys, wherein the valleys form portions of the through-spaces, in the body of material on the first side of the body of material so as to leave interconnecting portions of the body of material, wherein the interconnecting portions interconnect the plurality of discrete objects to one another; and removing the interconnecting portions, wherein removing the interconnecting portions further comprises liberating the plurality of discrete objects from one another.
 2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising locating a temporary frame laterally surrounding an object region of the body from which all of the discrete objects will be manufactured.
 3. A method according to claim 2, wherein locating the temporary frame includes locating a prefabricated support frame around the body of material.
 4. A method according to claim 3, wherein locating the prefabricated support frame around the body of material includes locating a prefabricated support frame that includes at least one reference feature designed, configured, and located for precisely locating the stabilized workpiece relative to a subtractive manufacturing machine.
 5. A method according to claim 2, wherein locating the temporary frame includes subtractively manufacturing the temporary frame from the body of material.
 6. A method according to claim 5, wherein subtractively manufacturing the temporary frame includes subtractively manufacturing at least one reference datum designed, configured, and located for precisely locating the stabilized workpiece relative to a subtractive manufacturing machine.
 7. A method according to claim 5, wherein subtractively manufacturing the temporary frame from the body of material includes subtractively manufacturing the temporary frame contemporaneously with subtractively manufacturing the discrete objects.
 8. A method according to claim 5, wherein: the interconnecting portions connect the temporary frame to the precursors to the discrete objects; and liberating the plurality of discrete objects from one another further includes liberating the plurality of discrete objects from the temporary frame.
 9. A method according to claim 1, the method further comprising removing a layer from the second side of the body of material so as to define a planar surface across the entirety of the workpiece of interconnected structures, wherein the removing of the layer includes removing the interconnecting portions.
 10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the subtractive manufacturing includes milling.
 11. A method according to claim 1, further comprising forming, by subtractive manufacturing, valleys in the body of material on the second side of the body of material.
 12. A method of manufacturing a plurality of discrete objects, wherein each discrete object represents at least a partially completed form of at least a part of a finished product, from a body of material, wherein the discrete objects are defined by through-spaces in the body of material extending from a first side to a second side after performing the method, the method comprising: receiving the body of material, wherein the body of material comprises the first side and the second side, and the second side is spaced from the first side; subtractively manufacturing a workpiece of interconnected structures comprising precursors to the discrete objects as a function of a workpiece computer model, wherein generating the workpiece of interconnected structures comprises forming valleys, wherein the valleys form portions of the through-spaces, in the body of material on the first side of the body of material so as to leave interconnecting portions of the body of material, wherein the interconnecting portions interconnect the plurality of discrete objects to one another; locating a temporary frame laterally surrounding an object region of the body from which all of the discrete objects will be subtractively manufactured; and removing the interconnecting portions of a stabilized workpiece, wherein removing the interconnecting portions of the stabilized workpiece further comprises: liberating the plurality of discrete objects from one another.
 13. A method according to claim 11, further comprising generating a workpiece computer model, wherein the workpiece computer model comprises a plurality of computer models of differing structures.
 14. A method according to claim 11, wherein locating the temporary frame around the body of material includes locating a prefabricated support frame that includes at least one reference feature designed, configured, and located for precisely locating the stabilized workpiece relative to a subtractive manufacturing machine.
 15. A method according to claim 11, wherein locating the temporary frame includes subtractively manufacturing the temporary frame from the body of material.
 16. A method according to claim 14, wherein subtractively manufacturing the temporary frame includes subtractively manufacturing at least one datum feature designed, configured, and located for precisely locating the stabilized workpiece relative to a subtractive manufacturing machine.
 17. A method according to claim 14, wherein subtractively manufacturing the temporary frame from the body of material includes subtractively manufacturing the temporary frame contemporaneously with subtractively manufacturing the discrete objects.
 18. A method according to claim 15, the method further comprising removing a layer from the second side of the body of material so as to define a planar surface across the entirety of the object regions, wherein the removing of the layer includes removing the interconnecting portions.
 19. A method according to claim 14 further comprising, forming by subtractive manufacturing, valleys in the body of material on the second side of the body of material.
 20. A method according to claim 11, further comprising modeling the temporary frame in a computer model wherein modeling the temporary frame further comprises selecting dimensions so as to maximize the size of the region within the temporary frame from which the discrete objects will be formed. 